EJ Murphy
@ejmurphy.bsky.social
Educator/public historian. 19th century U.S. history & the Underground Railroad. Views are, for better or for worse, my own.
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EJ Murphy
@ejmurphy.bsky.social
· Nov 13
Made the jump, and I’m happy to be here.
For new friends - I’m EJ, I’m from Scranton, PA (yes I love The Office), I’m a teacher, & run a NPS affiliated Underground Railroad program in Northeastern Pennsylvania.
I post stuff like this picture of USCTs returning to NEPA UGRR town Montrose in 1865 👋
For new friends - I’m EJ, I’m from Scranton, PA (yes I love The Office), I’m a teacher, & run a NPS affiliated Underground Railroad program in Northeastern Pennsylvania.
I post stuff like this picture of USCTs returning to NEPA UGRR town Montrose in 1865 👋
Remembering when we got dressed up for our 100th birthday a few years ago.
November 30, 2025 at 5:31 PM
Remembering when we got dressed up for our 100th birthday a few years ago.
Every Packer fan right now.
November 28, 2025 at 10:58 PM
Every Packer fan right now.
As printed in Douglass’ Monthly, 3/1/1859
November 18, 2025 at 9:41 PM
As printed in Douglass’ Monthly, 3/1/1859
Happy Veterans Day.
November 11, 2025 at 3:22 PM
Happy Veterans Day.
Absolute garbage game from the Packers offense.
November 11, 2025 at 4:24 AM
Absolute garbage game from the Packers offense.
Many thanks to the Abington Journal for highlighting our upcoming program, Harper’s Weekly’s Civil War! www.theabingtonjournal.com/news/113414/...
Connecting with history: Program at Comm to highlight Civil War in Northeast Pennsylvania | Abington Journal
WAVERLY TWP. — The Waverly Community House (the Comm), 1115 N. Abington Road, will host “Harper’s Weekly War” at 5:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 10, in the auditorium.
www.theabingtonjournal.com
November 8, 2025 at 6:16 PM
Many thanks to the Abington Journal for highlighting our upcoming program, Harper’s Weekly’s Civil War! www.theabingtonjournal.com/news/113414/...
Reposted by EJ Murphy
Edwin Booth’s saving of Robert Todd Lincoln at a train depot in 1864 is an interesting story, and I’m all for telling people about it, but don’t use generative AI for your illustrations. Otherwise you get images like this where Robert Lincoln has an extra arm coming out of his ass. #NoAI
November 4, 2025 at 2:09 AM
Edwin Booth’s saving of Robert Todd Lincoln at a train depot in 1864 is an interesting story, and I’m all for telling people about it, but don’t use generative AI for your illustrations. Otherwise you get images like this where Robert Lincoln has an extra arm coming out of his ass. #NoAI
The recruiting office for Black soldiers during the Civil War, Chestnut Street, Philadelphia.
November 2, 2025 at 4:52 PM
The recruiting office for Black soldiers during the Civil War, Chestnut Street, Philadelphia.
Just sitting here thinking about what a Benjamin Butler presidency would look like.
October 31, 2025 at 5:10 PM
Just sitting here thinking about what a Benjamin Butler presidency would look like.
🧵1/8
On April 18, 1861 Nicholas Biddle, an escaped enslaved resident of Pottsville, PA, marched through Baltimore with the Washington Artillerists on their way to defend the capital from a rumored rebel attack. While marching, they were attacked by rebel sympathizers.
On April 18, 1861 Nicholas Biddle, an escaped enslaved resident of Pottsville, PA, marched through Baltimore with the Washington Artillerists on their way to defend the capital from a rumored rebel attack. While marching, they were attacked by rebel sympathizers.
October 30, 2025 at 8:04 PM
🧵1/8
On April 18, 1861 Nicholas Biddle, an escaped enslaved resident of Pottsville, PA, marched through Baltimore with the Washington Artillerists on their way to defend the capital from a rumored rebel attack. While marching, they were attacked by rebel sympathizers.
On April 18, 1861 Nicholas Biddle, an escaped enslaved resident of Pottsville, PA, marched through Baltimore with the Washington Artillerists on their way to defend the capital from a rumored rebel attack. While marching, they were attacked by rebel sympathizers.
Can’t wait for this one.
Jen Murray & I just signed off on the proofs for our new edited collection (out February 1) on Civil War memory. Who knows how much will change in the next 3 months? Still, I think we've done a pretty good of showing that memory battles are far from over.
www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/nebraska/978...
www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/nebraska/978...
October 30, 2025 at 2:20 AM
Can’t wait for this one.
Interesting. Different because we don’t *depend* on hunting but the main reason my dad wanted to buy our cabin was because most of the land he grew up hunting on was either being conserved or privatized in some way.
We had the means to purchase our own land but for many folks that’s not an option.
We had the means to purchase our own land but for many folks that’s not an option.
October 28, 2025 at 8:14 PM
Interesting. Different because we don’t *depend* on hunting but the main reason my dad wanted to buy our cabin was because most of the land he grew up hunting on was either being conserved or privatized in some way.
We had the means to purchase our own land but for many folks that’s not an option.
We had the means to purchase our own land but for many folks that’s not an option.
“Gen. Robert E. Lee…is fighting to enslave the black man. To accomplish this hellish purpose, he kills the loyal soldiers of the nation and attempts the destruction of the nation’s life…
How appropriate that Lee’s lands should be dedicated to two such noble purposes…”
How appropriate that Lee’s lands should be dedicated to two such noble purposes…”
October 27, 2025 at 7:26 PM
“Gen. Robert E. Lee…is fighting to enslave the black man. To accomplish this hellish purpose, he kills the loyal soldiers of the nation and attempts the destruction of the nation’s life…
How appropriate that Lee’s lands should be dedicated to two such noble purposes…”
How appropriate that Lee’s lands should be dedicated to two such noble purposes…”
Happy to see that the Hickory Grove Cemetery Association fixed up Rev. Leonard Batchelor’s headstone, which had fallen off the base and luckily stayed intact.
Batchelor was a radical abolitionist, Underground Railroad participant, and member of the Liberty Party here in Waverly.
Batchelor was a radical abolitionist, Underground Railroad participant, and member of the Liberty Party here in Waverly.
October 27, 2025 at 5:40 PM
Happy to see that the Hickory Grove Cemetery Association fixed up Rev. Leonard Batchelor’s headstone, which had fallen off the base and luckily stayed intact.
Batchelor was a radical abolitionist, Underground Railroad participant, and member of the Liberty Party here in Waverly.
Batchelor was a radical abolitionist, Underground Railroad participant, and member of the Liberty Party here in Waverly.
Need to get to Petersburg. The 22nd USCT demands it.
October 24, 2025 at 2:31 PM
Need to get to Petersburg. The 22nd USCT demands it.
As I try to bring the edited collection back to life, another project begins (just a working title)…
October 24, 2025 at 2:29 PM
As I try to bring the edited collection back to life, another project begins (just a working title)…
Giving me Michael Scott vibes.
October 21, 2025 at 3:58 PM
Giving me Michael Scott vibes.
Think I have enough material to put together a whole presentation on the phrase “Sic Semper Tyrannis.”
From a speech by Rev. A.L. Post of Montrose in response to John Brown’s hanging:
“The ghost of Virginia’s State Seal…exclaiming ‘Sic Semper Tyrannis’…has sent terror throughout all Slaverydom.”
From a speech by Rev. A.L. Post of Montrose in response to John Brown’s hanging:
“The ghost of Virginia’s State Seal…exclaiming ‘Sic Semper Tyrannis’…has sent terror throughout all Slaverydom.”
October 21, 2025 at 3:03 PM
Think I have enough material to put together a whole presentation on the phrase “Sic Semper Tyrannis.”
From a speech by Rev. A.L. Post of Montrose in response to John Brown’s hanging:
“The ghost of Virginia’s State Seal…exclaiming ‘Sic Semper Tyrannis’…has sent terror throughout all Slaverydom.”
From a speech by Rev. A.L. Post of Montrose in response to John Brown’s hanging:
“The ghost of Virginia’s State Seal…exclaiming ‘Sic Semper Tyrannis’…has sent terror throughout all Slaverydom.”
We’re currently looking into expanding our program to officially include the towns of Wilkes Barre, Montrose, and Towanda.
The Endless Mountains Heritage Region covers Bradford, Sullivan, Susquehanna, and Wyoming Counties so Waverly is just outside of that…
The Endless Mountains Heritage Region covers Bradford, Sullivan, Susquehanna, and Wyoming Counties so Waverly is just outside of that…
October 20, 2025 at 8:03 PM
We’re currently looking into expanding our program to officially include the towns of Wilkes Barre, Montrose, and Towanda.
The Endless Mountains Heritage Region covers Bradford, Sullivan, Susquehanna, and Wyoming Counties so Waverly is just outside of that…
The Endless Mountains Heritage Region covers Bradford, Sullivan, Susquehanna, and Wyoming Counties so Waverly is just outside of that…
“We must rightly comprehend the unparalleled wickedness of slavery, and the desperate determination with which it makes war on the Government, or we shall fail to deal with it as our security and peace demand…a more imperious oligarchy never ruled a government.”
October 18, 2025 at 2:26 PM
“We must rightly comprehend the unparalleled wickedness of slavery, and the desperate determination with which it makes war on the Government, or we shall fail to deal with it as our security and peace demand…a more imperious oligarchy never ruled a government.”
Any good ideas for saving my map?
Made it through 12 years of teaching but couldn’t survive the one year I had to share my classroom with another teacher.
Brought it with me to the new job because I thought it’d be useful for when we host school groups.
Made it through 12 years of teaching but couldn’t survive the one year I had to share my classroom with another teacher.
Brought it with me to the new job because I thought it’d be useful for when we host school groups.
October 17, 2025 at 2:56 PM
Any good ideas for saving my map?
Made it through 12 years of teaching but couldn’t survive the one year I had to share my classroom with another teacher.
Brought it with me to the new job because I thought it’d be useful for when we host school groups.
Made it through 12 years of teaching but couldn’t survive the one year I had to share my classroom with another teacher.
Brought it with me to the new job because I thought it’d be useful for when we host school groups.
John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry began #OTD in 1859. Brown’s plan to arm and liberate the enslaved failed and he was convicted of treason and hung.
A little over 5 years later the 55th Massachusetts marched through the streets of Charleston to the tune of “John Brown’s Body.”
A little over 5 years later the 55th Massachusetts marched through the streets of Charleston to the tune of “John Brown’s Body.”
October 16, 2025 at 6:11 PM
John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry began #OTD in 1859. Brown’s plan to arm and liberate the enslaved failed and he was convicted of treason and hung.
A little over 5 years later the 55th Massachusetts marched through the streets of Charleston to the tune of “John Brown’s Body.”
A little over 5 years later the 55th Massachusetts marched through the streets of Charleston to the tune of “John Brown’s Body.”
“Robert E. Lee was a traitor to his country and the military leader of an armed rebellion against the government of the United States…if Robert E. Lee had received his just dues he would have been hanged and the scaffold preserved as a monument to his infamy.”
October 14, 2025 at 7:33 PM
“Robert E. Lee was a traitor to his country and the military leader of an armed rebellion against the government of the United States…if Robert E. Lee had received his just dues he would have been hanged and the scaffold preserved as a monument to his infamy.”
New book alert. This should be interesting.
October 8, 2025 at 3:11 PM
New book alert. This should be interesting.